Green leads Celtics to easy win vs. Suns

Boston doesn't miss a beat despite Garnett getting a rest for the game

Associated Press

Associated Press

Updated 7:28 am, Saturday, February 23, 2013

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 22: Jeremy Lin #7 of the Houston Rockets shoots against Kris Humphries #43 of the Brooklyn Nets during their game at the Barclays Center on February 22, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 22: Jeremy Lin #7 of the Houston Rockets...

PHOENIX, AZ - FEBRUARY 22: Jeff Green #8 of the Boston Celtics drives the ball against Luis Scola #14 of the Phoenix Suns during the first half of the NBA game at US Airways Center on February 22, 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

PHOENIX — Jeff Green scored 31 points in his first start of the season and the short-handed Boston Celtics routed the Phoenix Suns 113-88 on Friday night.

Chris Wilcox had 13 points off the bench, and Avery Bradley and Jason Terry scored 13 each for the Celtics, who moved two games ahead of Milwaukee for seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

Green started in place of 36-year-old Kevin Garnett, given a rest with Boston playing its third game in four nights. Green responded by going 11-for-14 from the floor and setting his season high for points.

Paul Pierce scored only eight on 3-for-5 shooting for his fourth single-digit game of the season. But that mattered little to the Celtics, who were dominant from the opening tip in snapping a two-game skid.

Jordan Crawford, acquired from Washington on Thursday, made his Celtics debut and scored 10 points off the bench as Boston improved to 9-3 without injured guard Rajon Rondo.

Goran Dragic had 18 points and 10 assists, Markieff Morris scored 11 and Marcin Gortat added 10 points and six rebounds for the Suns, who have lost two straight and six of seven.

Boston wasted no time taking control of the game, taking advantage of Phoenix's 0-for-5 start from the floor and a pair of Suns turnovers to open a 13-0 lead just less than four minutes into the game.

Phoenix slowly cut into the lead, but every time the Suns came close the Celtics ran their lead back to double digits.

The Suns' last run came in the first two minutes of the second half, a 7-0 streak capped by a 3-pointer from Dragic that cut Boston's 12-point halftime lead to 53-48.

But the Celtics pulled away for good, opening a 74-59 lead on Terrence Williams' layup with 3:03 left in the third quarter.

Boston, which swept the season series against Phoenix for the first time since 2008-09, led by as many as 28 in the fourth quarter.

In other games: James Harden and Carlos Delfino each scored 22 points, and Houston tied its longest winning streak against any opponent by beating Brooklyn for the 13th straight time, 106-96. Houston blew most of a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter before Delfino hit a big 3-pointer with 1:54 left. He later made another jumper before Harden followed with a 3-pointer to put it away. Brook Lopez scored 27 points for the Nets, who played without starting guard Joe Johnson for the first time this season because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot. ... Vince Carter capped a 22-point performance with a 3-pointer that gave Dallas the lead with 6.5 seconds left, and the Mavericks held on for their third straight victory, 104-100 over New Orleans. ... Washington put on one of its best offensive shows of the season, putting seven players in double figures while taking down another contending team with a 119-113 win over Denver. Emeka Okafor had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Wizards, who never trailed. Ty Lawson had 27 points and 12 assists for the Nuggets. ... Marc Gasol had 19 points and 13 rebounds, Zach Randolph added 16 points and 14 boards, and Memphis beat short-handed Orlando 88-82 for its sixth straight victory. The Magic had only seven players available because of injuries and trades from Thursday that sent players to Milwaukee. The returning players were not available. ... Al Horford led Atlanta's balanced scoring with 24 points and the Hawks overcame a slow start to beat Sacramento 122-108. Glens Falls' Jimmer Fredette scored three points. ... Russell Westbrook scored 37 points, Kevin Durant added 27 and Oklahoma City snapped a three-game losing streak by beating Minnesota 127-111. ... Taj Gibson scored 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting and Chicago beat Charlotte 105-75. ... David West scored 18 points and surging Indiana beat Detroit 114-82. Indiana has won three straight.